Kissing A Fool
by jmsbndgrl
Summary: Songfic  Missing Scene After the Fireplace Scene in Ep II


**Kissing A Fool**

**Summary:** Missing Scene (Songfic) with Anakin just after the fireplace scene in AOTC. Song is "Kissing a Fool," written by George Michael. However, when I was writing this, I was thinking of the version of the song sung by Michael Bublé.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Star Wars. I'm just borrowing George Lucas's characters for a bit. I also don't own "Kissing a Fool."

* * *

"I couldn't do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?"

Anakin sighed as he settled down upon the couch that he and Padmé had vacated moments ago. She had fled to her own room of the lake retreat and now he was left to fight the urge to chase after her. He could not believe he had actually let words of agreement fall from his lips in response to her question.

"No, you're right." It would destroy us." Anakin grimaced as his own voice echoed in his head. That was certainly not what he had intended to say. If he could answer Padmé's question again, he would argue against her as he drew her into his arms and kissed her fears away. She was too concerned with what the rest of the galaxy thought of them to give into her feelings.

_You are far_

_When I could have been your star_

_You listened to people_

_Who scared you to death_

_And from my heart_

Anakin gave a frustrated sigh. Padmé did not know what she wanted. All her talk of their respective duties to the Senate and the Jedi was an ill thought out protection scheme. Anakin would gladly give up his duties for her and by her own words, "Regardless of the way we feel about each other," he knew deep down she would give up everything for him as well.

_Strange the you were strong enough_

_To even make a start_

_You'll never find_

_Peace of mind_

_Till you listen to your heart_

Padmé could deny it all she wanted, but the truth remained that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Before her protests to the contrary, her lips had easily parted in invitation as they shared their first kiss. Anakin had instigated that kiss, but I the end her lips met his with equal fervor. Her body also relaxed into his when they playfully tumbled across the meadow of their shared picnic. Even during their brief interlude beside the fire, Padmé had initially been coy and flirtatious until Anakin had poured his heart out to her.

Anakin gave another sigh as he tried to suppress the anger and pain at Padmé's denial. She spoke of how the rest of the galaxy would see their relationship. However, Anakin still did not care and if Padmé had wanted him too she should have picked a wardrobe that displayed an aura of authority rather than the tempting outfits that teased him with displays of her creamy flesh.

_People_

_You can never change the way they feel_

_Better let them do just what they will_

_For they will_

_If you let them_

_Steal your heart from you_

No longer able to suppress his anger, Anakin marched towards Padmé's room. She was denying their love out of fear and he could not let her do that. With urgent steps, Anakin stood before the door that separated her from him, intent on breaking it down. Padmé needed the stubbornness shaken out of her. The rest of the galaxy could burn in the very depths of Sith hell for all Anakin cared. Padmé had to come to terms with that and realize in the end all that mattered was their love for one another.

Somehow, Anakin restrained himself from tearing down the barrier into Padmé's room. However, he did not knock or request permission to enter her room. Instead, he called upon the Force to unlock the door and let himself inside.

Anakin had expected to hear a gasp of protest as he entered the room. He even expected to hear Padmé order him from her room. He could have ignored all of these things, but he was taken aback by the silence in the darkened room. The only light in the room came from the streams of moonlight filtering through the large transpristeel windows. The moonlight seemed to mock Anakin, as its light focused over the woman slumbering in bed.

It hurt Anakin that Padmé could so casually dismiss her feelings for him. She should have been awake and as tormented as he was. To Anakin, she was simply adding more proof of her denial, which was fueling his determination to show her otherwise.

Anakin strode to the side of the bed and stared down at the object of his affection. In sleep, she looked like the angel he had called her long ago, and this gave him a moment's pause. However, angel or no, Anakin's stubbornness demanded that Padmé see things his way. He grasped her blanket firmly in his hand and was about to tear it from her body when something wrenched at his heart. In her slumber, Padmé had let a name softly escape her lips, "Palo."

_People_

_Will always make a lover feel a fool_

_But you knew I loved you_

_We could have shown them all_

_We should have seen love through_

Stunned, Anakin released Padmé's blanket and backpedaled as if he had been slapped. He had dreamt that it would be his name that she would call out at night. He knew that love for him would certainly drive that, but with the two syllable name that passed her lips Padmé had shown that Anakin had been wrong. He was so in love with Padmé that he had been determined that she had to be equally in love with him. He had not pictured a different scenario and was not prepared to feel his heart shatter in his chest. Feeling completely alone and lost, Anakin escaped to his own room to gather himself and mull over this new revelation.

Unfortunately, Anakin did not realize that Padmé was not dreaming of Palo as her lover. She was only replaying her previous conversation during a picnic at a Nubian meadow with a certain Jedi Padawan. Had Anakin not retreated from the room, he would have heard Padmé call out another name in longing rather than the whisper Palo's had received. Additionally, if he had been looking at her he might have seen the moonlight catch the tear that trickled down her cheek as she said, "Anakin."

_Fooled me with the tears in your eyes_

_Covered me with kisses and lies_

_So far_

_But please don't take my heart._

Anakin stared up at the ceiling of his room as he lay in bed and replayed his latest encounter with Padmé. He wiped a stubborn tear out of his own eyes as he gave into a difficult truth. His angel did not love him.

_You are far_

_I'm never gonna be your star_

_I'll pick up the pieces_

_To mend my heart_

_Strange that I was wrong enough_

_To think you loved me too_

_You must have been kissing a fool_

_I said you must have been kissing a fool_

All of his hopes and dreams for a future with her had been lies. Over the past few days Anakin had pressured Padmé to give in to him. However, there was nothing to give in to if she was in love with another. Although his jealousy told him Palo was wrong for her, Anakin knew he would have to learn to live without the woman who haunted his dreams.

_But remember this_

_Every other kiss_

_That you'll ever give_

_Long as we both live_

"I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me." Anakin echoed his words from earlier in the evening. To torture him more, his mind replayed images of his and Padmé's shared kiss. He could see his lips slowly encouraging hers to meld with his and then the delicious moment where she opened up to him and allowed him to deepen the kiss. He had been intoxicated by her taste and had been sorely disappointed when she had pulled away breathlessly.

He had considered capturing her kiss swollen lips with his and pulling her flushed body against his once more despite her protests. However, he had decided to give her some time and space since she was obviously flustered. Now Anakin wish he had continued that kiss because perhaps her body's natural reaction to him would have caused Padmé to forget about Palo.

Anakin paused in his brooding for a moment and blinked several times as a realization dawned on him. Padmé had reacted to him. He had said it before, she had kissed him back. She had also flushed a pleasant shade of pink once she realized that they were in a compromising position after their tumble in the meadow and he distinctly recalled her body heat escalating as she held on tight to his lean frame as they rode a native shaak back to the lake retreat. Palo had not been near them and it was obvious Padmé was reacting to her Jedi protector and not the artist she had mentioned in the meadow. A spark of hope mended Anakin's heart at this revelation

_When you need the hand of another man_

_One you really can surrender with_

_I will wait for you_

_Like I always do_

_There's something there_

_That can't compare with any other_

A smile lit up Anakin's features with the knowledge that Padmé did have feelings for him. She had simply focused her attention on this Palo person, probably because she felt the rest of the galaxy would accept a relationship with an artist more readily than one with a Jedi Knight. Anakin would just need to show a little patience as well as applying a careful nudge to her defenses to make her see that. New life could be breathed into his dream of making his Nubian Angel his own.

_You are far_

_When I could have been your star_

_You listened to people_

_Who scared you to death_

_And from my heart_

Smiling once more, Anakin settled back into his own dreams. However, visions of his Angel did not meet him, only the pain and suffering of his mother. The nightmare caused him to forget his plan to continue his pursuit of Padmé. So caught up in the search for his mother, her subsequent death, and then the attempted rescue of Obi-Wan on Geonosis, Anakin had very little time to think of his relationship with Padmé.

_Strange that I was wrong enough_

_To think you'd love me too_

_You must have been kissing a fool_

He was completely taken aback when she murmured "I love you," while on the way to their executions. It was hard to believe that those words had escaped her lips when he had done little to encourage them. He would have thought he had imagined those words had she not repeated her declaration and punctuated it with a tender kiss. That kiss did not last long enough for Anakin's taste, so as he and Padmé were ushered into the Geonosian arena he vowed to get the two of them out of there as quickly as possible so they could continue where they left off.

_You must have been kissing a fool_


End file.
